Komura Jutarō was born on November 5, 1855, and lived until November 26, 1911. He is known as a Japanese diplomat who played a significant role in shaping Japan’s relationships with foreign nations. In the early 1870s, he was a student of William E. Griffis at the Kaisei Gakko in Tokyo. Komura went on to graduate from Harvard Law School and returned to Japan to serve in the Japanese Ministry of Justice and later the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He later served as a chargé d’affaires, a foreign diplomat similar to an ambassador, in Beijing, Korea, United States, and China again,
He played a significant role in advocating for the Anglo-Japanese Alliance, which allied Britain and Japan and strengthened their relationship. He served as a special envoy and played a large role in negotiations regarding the Portsmouth Peace Treaty, which concluded the Russo-Japanese War. In 1908, he acted again as Foreign Minister and negotiated with Western nations regarding the Japan-Korea Annexation Treaty. In 1910 he was given the title of Marquess, a title of European nobility.
Sources:
“Komura Jutaro.” Jacar.go, Japan Center for Asian Historical Records, www.jacar.go.jp/english/nichiro/cloud_komurajyutaro.htm.
“Komura Jutarō.” Encyclopaedia Britannica, Britannica, www.britannica.com/biography/Komura-Jutaro.